Category Archives: Professional Consulting

Back to the Beginning

There are times when it is wise for you, as a business owner, to take a few minutes, hours, or perhaps days to stop and re-visit the reason you got into your business. As we plow through the months and years, it is easy to forget why we do what we are doing. A consultant can help if you need assistance to come up with strategies.

Here are some questions to consider in reflecting on your business:

Are you happy? You should be excited about getting up and going to work every day. My bad. You shouldn’t even think of it as “work” if you enjoy what you’re doing. If you like/love what you do, that attitude infects the rest of your team … and your customers. If you are on the other side of the happiness coin, that also is conveyed to your employees, your customers, and your prospective customers. You obviously want to be on the happy side.

Are you fulfilled? Your business should be challenging and rewarding. Your responsibilities should push you to the edge of your comfort zone, and maybe over that edge if you learn and gain confidence in your ability to solve the problems or manage the crises. Walking in the same rut day after day can be mentally challenging and emotionally draining. You want to finish your day feeling you’ve accomplished great things.

Have you made an impact? Each of us wants to make a difference in the world, whether through our business, our volunteer work, or in the lives of others. Take a few minutes and think about the impact your business has on your customers? Is it able to fulfill their needs, wants, and desires effectively? Has your company served them at the level they expect to be served? Are your employees satisfied with what they do and feel fulfilled, as though they are also making an impact?

These are three questions to reflect on, whether you stop and do it once a month, every six months, or once a year. The impact this time has on your business can be measured in profits, and comes down to what you do about any low areas you may discover. If your business experiences peaks and valleys, it’s logical to fill in the valleys.

There’s only person who can change your attitude about going to work and managing your business. Likewise, there’s only one person who can decide whether you will be happy or sad as you go through your day. Leave work at work when you go home and enjoy the time with your family. Let your loved ones know you love them, in words, a hug, a kiss.

If you think about what you do for a living and it fulfills you, you’ve answered the second question. If not, think about what you can change that will make it fulfilling. If it becomes more fulfilling for you, it will do the same for your employees and your customers. If in doubt, ask your customers what would make what you offer be more satisfying for them. Then figure out how you can provide that to them.

By and large, if you have the answers to the first two questions, the answers to the third will fall in place. Take some time to think about it.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Have You Reached The Top?

How do you know if your business has reached the pinnacle? Is it when you own the niche for your product or service and the accompanying majority share of the market? Is it when consumers come back and sing your praises throughout the land?

A lot depends on how you define the top. When a mountain climber reaches the top, there’s only one way to go, down. A business, on the other hand, can reach the top and remain there for quite some time. You might even compare it to the children’s game, King of the Hill. The stronger and smarter you are, the longer you stay on top but you can always be knocked off by a surprise move.

When you define what the peak is for your business, you may discover you have already reached it. If, for instance, the acme is achieving five million in sales for your product or service, your financials may show you’re already there. What was the goal in your original business plan? Have you looked at that lately? What do you do if you’ve achieved the goal you originally established?

The obvious answer would be to diversify and find another mountain to climb, or to re-define the peak you seek to achieve. If you achieved five million, can you do 15 or 20?

From a marketing perspective, the journey to the top involves taking the right steps, having a support system behind (and with) you along the way, and bringing others with you. There’s a story somewhere about the person who wants to climb the mountain and struggles to do so, but when she helps others reach the peak turns around and realizes that in the process of helping another get to the top, she has done so herself.

Back to marketing, though. When you do the right things and achieve the objectives you set out to reach, your continued success – the ability to remain at the top – depends on building brand loyalty. If your customers love being on top, #1, with you and you foster that admiration with them and your prospective customers, your place on top of the mountain can remain strong for a long time.

Last week’s blog referred to Ford and Chevrolet. Both remain strong on the automobile mountain because they have taken care of their customers, but also because they have not been afraid to take risks and innovate with new designs and different vehicles. They’ve made mistakes along the way, no doubt. Ford with the Edsel debacle and Chevrolet with the recent government assistance program.

The lessons to be learned are that if you remain focused on your customers and what they want, you can weather set-backs and still reach the pinnacle. Mountain climbers have challenges along their path to the peak; it’s not a flight of steps up to the heights.

If you are King of the Hill, enjoy it while you’re there!

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Is Competition Good For Business?

Before we dig too deep into the pros and cons of whether competition is good for business, let’s take a look back about 100 years … give or take a few years.

When Henry Ford started manufacturing automobiles, he wanted to produce vehicles that the “average” person could afford. In doing so, he established a certain loyalty to his brand among the people who bought his cars. That loyalty has spanned generations.

Imagine what it would be like today if Ford had not had any competition in the marketplace. Every car on the road would be a Ford and there would be no question what you would drive. Ford would dictate what color of cars would be available, what features they would have, and most importantly, what you would pay to own one of their vehicles.

We’re not experts in which started first, but General Motors entered the automotive scene as well and competition began. People who drove Chevrolet vehicles were proud of how they looked and performed. It wasn’t long before Ford people gained a disdain for Chevy people, and Chevy owners grew to dislike Ford people.

In the process of competing, both companies grew and expanded the world of motor vehicles in the United States.

The competition was good in that it kept both companies operating, although each saw an erosion in market share. As America’s population grew, the market kept growing, so although each company may have lost market share, the overall market expanded enough to keep both companies in business. Competition opened the door for other car manufacturers to try their hand at taking some of the market share, creating jobs and choices for consumers. Consider your choices for automobiles in today’s market, including the foreign competitors.

Back to the topic at hand. Competition is good for the consumer in that it generally keeps prices lower and options more plentiful. Where it can be detrimental to business is when the business dilutes it’s own market by competing with itself.

An example is orange juice. Orange juice now comes regular, with added calcium, mixed with other fruits such as pineapple, and a few other varieties. The same manufacturers compete against themselves for consumers by offering various choices and, in many cases, the consumer is unaware of the differences, except if it means a higher cost to them.

A business owner needs to understand that, in virtually every situation, there will be competition for the consumer’s money. Your business needs to develop strategies to embrace the competition by knowing how and why your business is different, and minimize the risks of competing against yourself.

A key element is to know your customer. What are their preferences? You may think you know what they want, but do you know – for sure – what they really want from your company and your products and/or services? Why do they, or should they, want to do business with you instead of your competitors? How loyal are they?

In our humble opinion, yes, competition is good for business. It keeps your business on its toes and makes you work harder to stay on top or to gain more market share. To use a comparison, athletes get better when they compete against someone better at their sport. Competition in business makes your business better and is better for the consumer.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Designing a Print Ad

We have been receiving some good feedback, and although we’re not sure which of our posts are most appreciated, we will keep providing marketing and business-related topics designed to help you operate your business more profitably.

Before getting into how to design an attention-getting print advertisement, however, let’s remember that marketing involves every aspect of your business. Everything from how your parking lot looks to the first impression of users checking out your website, and from how your staff treats customers to what your business cards look like.

Example: Attended a meeting this morning at a banquet facility where the entrance doors looked like they had been washed with a dirty towel. Yes, that bad! Something so simple to do right, yet when done poorly has a tremendous impact on whether to recommend the facility for a wedding reception or other event. Makes you wonder how they do the dishes. Suggestion to management: Fix it, even if you have to do it yourself!

Back to business: When it comes to designing an ad, remember your audience. Is the ad – in total – appealing to your prospective customers? Do you have a headline or other attention-getting device? Headlines need to appeal to the readers’ interests. Does it help them avoid pain or obtain pleasure?

As with any message, the first requirement is to get the person’s attention. The next requirement is to keep their attention long enough to receive and absorb the message so they can act on what you want them to do. Do you know what you want them to do? Do you call them to perform that action? Copy sells. Art enhances. Print ad basics.

Headlines, traditionally, cover the top of an ad but can be used creatively in other locations to grab more attention. The sample ad here uses a “Z” design method based on the natural American/English tendency to read from left to right. The headline leads the eye to the image of the two cats, which then flows down to the logo and across to the call to action. Pay attention to where the eye is drawn in an ad, because that should be where the most important information is conveyed to the viewer.

In the sample, note that the copy ties to the image, adding relevance to the impression the picture of the two cats conveys. If you want your potential customers to stop by your place of business, an address and/or directions (including a QR code) should be included somewhere in the ad. In this case, it’s to call for professional assistance.

Humor can be used quite effectively, but remember that some people will appreciate the humor while others could be turned off by it. The image of the pointed gun is meant to relate to Brand Irons in a humorous way, but could easily be interpreted as the threat of gun violence if you neglect to make the call. That brings to mind a topic every business should think about. Do you have an active shooter protocol in place?

Another ad variable: The personality characteristics of your desired audience can be used to your advantage in designing your ads. There’s more in the book, Small Business Owner’s Guide to Marketing.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Stop: Think About It!

This thought might seem like a bizarre topic but, when you do stop and think about it, there are far too many decisions you make as a business owner that you probably don’t take the time to think through completely.

Okay, the first question you raise: Can you ever think through an issue completely? No … unless you have identified all the concerns related to that issue and have all the answers clearly defined.

Here’s a scenario: Someone who knows someone in your company comes in to ask for a donation to the youth baseball league in your community. Odds are you make that contribution at a level you’re comfortable with, unless you’re not a baseball fan or a supporter of youth activities. It’s kind of a guilt trip when you’re asked. How can you be against baseball? Or young people who want to play sports?

If you think about the request logically instead of emotionally, you weigh the variables, such as whether you have the budget allocated for that level of donation. Can you lessen your tax burden through the contribution? Will you gain any market visibility or brand awareness with the donation? Is it a cause you want to be identified with as a company?

That’s one example of the importance of taking a few minutes to weigh your options when asked for a charitable contribution, rather than just handing over the cash. Whether it’s financial or an in-kind gift through employees donating their time and expertise to the cause, take some time to think about it.

A suggestion that might prove helpful: Develop a decision making check list to stimulate the thought process when it comes to making critical choices for your company.

#1 might be – Will the choice help us make more money? Sub-factors for this check point might be: How soon? How much? At what cost?

#2 could be – Will this decision increase our brand awareness? Build customer loyalty? Or possibly detract from our brand identity?

#3 – Will this enable us to increase market share in the community or other markets?

#4 – Do we have the budget for this expenditure/donation/expansion?

#5 – What is required of our company to fulfill this obligation or complete this project? How much time will be required of our employees?

When we’ve conducted fund raising projects for clients, there is often a desire to conduct a volunteer project such as a bake sale or car wash. These are good events for getting people involved in a cause, but when one stops and thinks about it, these relatively simple events require loads of time for a small return. If your company or organization had to pay for the volunteer’s time, odds are the event would lose money!

A decision matrix such as roughly outlined above can reduce the risk of making bad decisions, and save money that might be invested in the wrong venture. And there are times when having an independent third party to provide counsel on the concept is well worth the investment.

Take the time to think it through!

Thanks go out to the community following this blog. We appreciate your comments and support and hope to continue providing valuable content for you.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Building A Commercial

The first step in building a commercial such as a 30-second TV spot or a promotional video for YouTube is to know your audience.

Basic demographics are age and gender. Understanding these basics for your audience, or viewer, are important because different age groups watch videos differently and each gender has different receptors for the message. The more clarity you have about your audience, the easier it becomes to design your commercial to get through to them and to influence their buying decisions. Remember that people, in general, prefer to avoid being sold and would rather make their own purchasing choices.

When you’ve determined which audience you’re targeting, part of the design work is to grab their attention. A good rule of thumb is to focus the attention-getting device (AGD) on your potential customers and what they are likely to want as the message relates to your product or service. Is the purchase for necessity, pleasure, or to avoid pain? There are other options, but we’re trying to keep this brief.

Once you’ve got the audience’s attention, the commercial needs to keep their attention or engage them to ensure the message is delivered as intended. Generally, you want to leave the viewer with an indelible memory, a positive perception, and/or an urge to buy what you’re selling. The hope is you will build brand identity and, if they like what they purchase, brand loyalty. You also want the viewer to stay through to the end, where you provide the call to action.

Know what you want them to do. That’s your call to action! Do you want commercial viewers to stop by your store? Would you prefer they call to set up an appointment? Send you an E-mail? Or do you direct them to your website for more information or to place an order?

Now that we’ve gone through the construction elements, let’s go back to the planning process. One of the worst reasons for producing a commercial for your business is “Everyone is doing it.” Know your purpose … and your audience. Whatever you attempt in producing a spot, you are building brand awareness. You want it to be favorable. Yes, you are trying to sell your brand, your product, your service, and maybe yourself, but keep in mind who’s going to be viewing your commercial. Why do they or should they care? Does the spot relate to them … or is it about you and your company?

Remember, too, that your commercial may not reach everyone in your intended audience, and will more than likely also be viewed by people outside of the audience you’re trying to reach. Both scenarios are okay.

What’s your budget? Fancy graphics, animation, and acting or modeling talent can rack up a big expense without any consideration for scripting, shooting, and editing the video. Plus you generally have to pay if you’re airing commercials on TV or cable channels. There are ways to reduce the expenses such as shooting two or three spots at a time, but either way, it’s best to have professionals help with production because your reputation, and brand, are on the line.

Consider, too, that you need to understand the time frame involved in producing a commercial. Concepts and script writing need to be thought through, modified, and finalized with your approval before the shoot can be scheduled. The logistics of finding a location, getting permission to use it, and then setting up the various shots takes time. The process of finding the right talent takes time, too. Remember to add in rehearsal time and get talent releases as well.

When you shoot video, shoot from several angles and do numerous takes to ensure you have enough material to work with when you get to the editing booth. Think of and take all the shots you think of so you can avoid returning to the location to shoot something you forgot you needed. Editing requires time to enter video, audio, graphics, and manipulate the sequences between scenes.

Sure, you can shoot some video with your smart phone and post it on YouTube, but is that the image you want to portray of your company?

Take the time to think things through, and get help if you need it!

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Put The Right People In The Right Position

The right strategy for positioning your employees can add to your bottom line.

Managing employees is an art form in business that requires an owner or manager to take the time to think things through. Avoid rash decisions. While it is often difficult to retain good employees, placing them in a fulfilling role with a certain level of responsibility can reap benefits and keep them challenged.

One of the keys is understanding each of your employees. What motivates him or her? What makes them tick? Is it money, autonomy, authority, interaction with customers or other employees, or a steady paycheck? The more you know about your employees, within legal guidelines, the better expectations you can set for them and the more accountable they will be. Most employees want to make a difference and have an impact on the world, so if you – as an owner or manager – know what their expectations are and how they might fit with your corporate objectives, the easier it becomes to provide them with an outlet to achieve their goals and contribute to the company’s mission at the same time.

Make sure your mission is clear to every member of your team, and share your passion for the business so your vision becomes everyone’s vision.

Your best sales person may be ill-suited to become sales manager. A sales manager may be the wrong person to be promoted as head of production. Your graphic artist may be inappropriate for filling the shoes of the company’s social media manager.

Here are some simple steps to get you closer to puttng the right people in the right place:

1) Create a description of the work responsibilities and expectations, including anticipated customer interaction;

2) Compare the candidates’ qualifications, ambitions, and goals to the description;

3) Take some time to think through the implications of selecting the person who’s right for the position, including how long they’re likely to last in that job; and,

4) Trust your gut.

If you need to bounce your choices off an independent third party, consider engaging Brand Irons. If you need to think about the transitions involved, take the time. Better to wait on a decision than make the wrong one. Think, too, about whether your choice makes the most sense or if you need to consider other candidates.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand

Focus On Your Customers

One expert might advise that you focus your business on sales in 2014. Another might suggest you focus on productivity. Those may be good suggestions, but your focus should always – repeat, always – be on your customers. You may be able to increase sales or production capabilities, but if you lose your customer base – your market share – what will you have?

Do you know who your customers are? What do they look like? What do they buy?

Placing a consistent emphasis on your clients can be difficult, especially if you have to deal with an employee issue or inventory problems. It is far too easy to become distracted by the inner workings of your business and lose sight of what’s most important – customers! Good management maintains the company’s priority on the consumer.

What’s best for your customers? Is it keeping the sidewalk clean and safe? Maintaining a pleasant, inviting interior in the store? Making sure your website is current and easy to navigate? Offering rewards to loyal patrons? Ensuring your pricing is reasonable and fair? Providing a step beyond exceptional customer service?

You may disagree, but weigh whether a misplaced order for stock inventory is more important than making sure a customer’s problems are resolved to his/her satisfaction. Solve the problem with inventory when the customers are taken care of, or find an employee with the ability to solve it and give them the authority to resolve it.

Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes for these examples:

The line is backed up in a convenience store. One register is open for several consumers while four employees are behind the counter, joking about who’s going to the bank. How likely would you be to return to that convenience store if you didn’t have to go there?

You’re parked at the drive-through window of a fast food restaurant. Your order has been paid for and is sitting on the service table, ready to be handed to you. Unfortunately for you, the drive-through attendant is talking on their cell phone to their best friend. Feel like pulling over and having a chat with the manager? That’s likely to only add to your frustration because the manager is allowing that behavior to happen in the first place.

What do those examples tell us about the company and how well it markets its brand? It is an all-too-often occurrence in the fast food industry, and irritating to think those employees would do better work if they were paid more. Company managers need to spend more time in the trenches, like Undercover Boss, and learn what’s happening on the front lines. Or you can consider engaging Brand Irons as a secret shopper to do the investigating and report back on the findings … provided you’re ready for the truth.

Brand Irons has some rather simple solutions to remaining focused on your customers, and it starts at the top of any organization:

1) Take the time to think through what your customer service orientation is and should be;

2) Take the time to train your employees on what the expectations are for customer service … all the time, and hold your employees accountable; and,

3) Take the time – whatever it takes – to take care of your customers the way they want to be taken care of … remember and never lose sight of that objective.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand!

Planning for 2014

Now that it’s less than a month away, it’s time to take a few minutes and think through your business strategies for 2014. If you’ve already done this, take some time to review them and make sure you are going to be on the right track.

First step – What is the right track?

Look at where your business is today and try to project out a year from now. Where would you like to see your business in mid- to late-December 2014? Have sales shown an increase or are they holding steady? Will you be in a growth stage? Transition phase? Or will it be time to think about exit strategies?

The key area to consider is what your consumers want and need. You need to know what the market is asking for, and then be prepared and able to deliver it on a consistent basis. Be on top of industry changes. Know your market. Some communities are a year or two behind on trends, and you need to know where your consumers are in your marketplace. You should be slightly ahead.

Second step – Where are your profit margins?

Remember, you’re in business to make money. Consumers understand that, yet still want a good value at a fair price. They also want to know why you’re different from your competitors so they can rationalize buying form you and remain loyal to your brand. If the margin you’ve been operating on has provided your company with good profitability, consider making changes to increase your margins. Those changes could involve cost reductions, if appropriate. They could mean price increases if the market will bear them, at the potential risk of pushing too far and losing market share.

Third step – How strong is your brand?

If yours is the only barbershop in town, you’ve got a good chance of securing 100% of the market share. It doesn’t mean you have a strong brand if the way you treat customers is like you’re the only place in town where they can get their hair cut. You have a strong brand when your customers love coming in, catching up on the latest gossip, enjoying the experience you provide in cutting their hair, and leaving with a satisfied expression because they know they’ve received a good value for the investment.

There are many variables that you need to think through when it comes to strategizing about your business for 2014: Management, competition, pricing structures, overhead, growth, productivity, marketing (including sales, advertising, and public relations), and finances, among others. Call Brand Irons at (920) 366-6334 if you’d like some help.

Take the time to think things through … then act!

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand.

Year End Review

December is a hectic month for most business owners. The Thanksgiving holiday cut short the end of November and, in retail, started the huge push to put black on the bottom line for the year. December adds holiday parties, end of the month, and end of year in the last week without mention of Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, and football games.

December is also a good month to review your performance for the last year. A year end review can be a lengthy process or a quick overview of how your business did. It should be done in conjunction with laying out strategies for 2014 as well, which we’ll cover in next week’s blog. Brand Irons can assist you with year end reviews and 2014 strategies.

10 things to think about as you take a look at 2013:

How much of an improvement, if any, does the bottom line show over 2012?
How does cash flow look at year’s end?
How did sales do in comparison to expectations?
How has productivity been improved during the last 12 months?
What has been the trend in consumer demand throughout the year?
What have been the significant changes or innovations in the industry?
What percentage of customers have you been able to retain?
What areas have been identified where staff or employees may need more training?
What does your profit margin look like?
How well are you doing, personally, on your retirement goals?

The complexity of a year end review depends, primarily, on the size of the company and the diversity of the management team.

Most of the check-points listed here pertain to financial information, so it may be wise to schedule a meeting with your accountant to go over performance indicators. Other items, such as consumer demand, are related to market conditions and may require some research to identify existing trends as well as potential growth areas. Others are management- and personnel-oriented.

What is critically important, either in reviewing a year’s performance or strategizing for the next business cycle, is to know what metrics you want to measure. What is essential for the long-term sustainability of your business? What do you need to know? What else would you like to know? Having this in hand makes it easy to compare one year’s results to the following year and put a pinch of realism into budget projections.

Brand Your Work – Work Your Brand.